Sports bras are available in a variety of styles and materials. They are designed to provide increased levels of support as well as comfort during exercise. In many cold-weather outdoor activities, such as skiing, ice skating, snowmobiling, ice hockey, etc., it is a common complaint that the wearer's core body and breasts become cold.
A number of patents have addressed the need for a bra that warms or cools a wearer's breasts. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,235,974 and 9,364,030 each disclose bras with electrical heating elements. These bras effectively work the breast of the user but each has significant drawbacks. First, each requires the use of wires through the cup area, which is uncomfortable to the user when engaging in outdoor activities. Second, the need for battery power means that the bra will be heated for a limited duration and cannot be effectively re-heated once the battery is dead.
Some patents have used inserts to heat or cool a bra. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,717 discloses a bra with hot/cold inserts. This bra takes the form of a thermal vest that includes pockets on the interior thereof into which hot or cold inserts may be inserted. Although this bra addresses some of the drawbacks of electrically heated bras, it also has significant drawbacks. In particular, the inclusion of pockets on the inside of the bra requires the wearer to completely disrobe in order to place an insert in the pocket. Further, as the insert is placed in the pocket when the bra is not fastened to the wearer, the wearer cannot be assured that the insert is in a comfortable position and cannot easily reposition the insert to such a position.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 7,275,977 discloses a therapeutic bra for use by women who have recently undergone breast surgery, which includes a single pocket on the outside of the bra into which a wearer may insert a hot or cold pack. This patent overcomes the drawback of having an interior pocket. However, the use of a single pocket on the top of the bra prevents the insert from being positioned to heat the underside of the breast, does not allow the inserts to be comfortably positioned and allows the insert to move within the pouch when the user engages in physical activity.
Therefore there is a need for a sports bra to be able to warm the wearer's core body and breasts that does not require the use of electrical wires or batteries, that may be easily reheated without removing the bra, that allows heating inserts to be easily positioned for comfort and heating of desired parts of the breast, and that prevents the insert from moving within the pouch when the user engages in physical activity